I can’t speak for today, but folks in future Eloy like Mexican food, probably with a special love of tacos. The area did used to be part of Mexico. I think even most people who are prejudiced against Latin Americans still like good Mexican food. It’s just so delicious! #HistorytownAZ #Septopolis

I actually had one do that. She had an appearance in I think one scene in Book 1 and demanded 1/4 to 1/3 of the wordcount in Book 2. (The book is better for it!) Semi-epistolary with her writing (unread) letters to the MC and the MC crafting (unread) messages for her. #HardMode #HistorytownAZ

This one's tough. *cries in American*

I guess Historytown tries to show that while history is complex, some parts of the past were good, and we can get better now. It's a weird mix of nostalgia and optimism, which IMO doesn't really match 2026 America's trajectory.

#Septopolis #HistorytownAZ

In alternate Eloy, #HistorytownAZ has some indoor rides, and the outdoor rides have queues with shade and misters. The coasters’ queues probably have indoor areas! I believe Historytown opened circa 2024, and the plans took into account airflow and also outdoor spaces, despite the heat.

Man I don’t think I can come up with most interesting, but air conditioning was a game-changer in Southern Arizona. It might have changed the culture to make people less friendly with their neighbors. You get home and immediately retreat into your cool house. #HistorytownAZ #Septopolis

Spoilers? #HistorytownAZ

Liam: I failed her.

Clara: It doesn’t matter about me.

Emma: She’s on another ship.

#AwesomeCharacters

We don’t see any good/bad guy groups in Eloy so far. Rochester (ridiculously wealthy family + company) might be above the law in Eloy. I am sure some folks originally opposed them turning Eloy into a tourist town. If I do a book 3, we will likely see one opponent… #HistorytownAZ #Septopolis

For what it’s worth, I imagine Historytown aggressively enforcing tolerance and trying to foster human connections with various events. They even insist on manned ticket booths to provide jobs and make people interact with each other. They offer discounts for locals. #HistorytownAZ

Eloy is in Arizona, so if the future version is like most Arizona suburbs, I imagine there is a culture of “independence.” People probably don‘t know their neighbors, at least in the newer areas, though family is considered important. Cars are necessary to go anywhere. #Septopolis #HistorytownAZ

Spoilers #HistorytownAZ

"And I guess you aren't the type to have a good time with him before you leave."

"You mean…kiss him?"

She pressed her lips together like she was holding back a laugh. "Something like that."

--Immigrants' Journey (Preorder: book.juliebihn.com/IJ )

#TimeTravelAuthors

This is a lovely article. The Rochesters are no Dolly Partons (though Mrs. Rochester is kind and charismatic), and I'm frankly pretty sure they did not think through Historytown half as well as Dolly thought through Dollywood, but it still gives me ideas about Historytown. #HistorytownAZ

#WriteStuff A3 I never voluntarily changed careers or really thought about careers. But moving from a job I wasn't really suited for to a job that involves writing letters every day...I think it helped me become a better writer. (Might also explain why my works are semi-epistolary?) #HistorytownAZ

A2 #WriteStuff OK that one is haaaaaaaaarrrrrrd. I'm sure it's at least a million words if you counted various drafts. Eek! If you mean stuff that's actually in the ballpark of publishable so far, probably 275,000? (TV = 100k, IJ = 120k,🍕 = 30k?, some novella = 15k? Not sure.) #HistorytownAZ

A1: Love that question! I have no memory, but I guess it was my first job out of college where they replaced the coffee machine with a pay vending machine, which was not a good sign. I put that early in Titanic Voyage, showing the ride/park was struggling! #WriteStuff #HistorytownAZ

*The link only shows the percentage for each census tract, with no labels beyond “here are all of the county’s tracts.” And I believe Eloy has an irregular layout! So I looked at info for 2 tracts near Historytown and said “good enough.” I mean, I don’t even know my own census tract! #HistorytownAZ

Reminder that I’m horrified by “current happenings.”

Link seems to say maybe 12-15% of people in the area* don’t speak English “very well,” almost all Spanish-speakers. “Very well” sounds like a high bar!

Re: English being AZ’s official language, my ballot guide includes Spanish. #HistorytownAZ

Using current Casa Grande as my future Eloy baseline, ~25% of people speak something other than English at home. (Mostly Spanish?) Maybe ~20% by the time of my book because of the current happenings. English is the official language of AZ, but I don’t know what that means. #HistorytownAZ #Septopolis

(Oh and I hate private prisons, and one of Eloy's prisons is an ICE detention center to boot. Please don't take any portion of my post as condoning any part of the ::waves hands at world that is on fire:: In my alt/future Eloy, the world is somewhat less bad, but I don't know how.) #HistorytownAZ

*See www2.census.gov/programs-sur...

**Inmates are people and valuable! But when most people think "demographics," I think they think "people they might see on the street."

***I know, Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race. And again, I'm not a statistician. Sorry! #HistorytownAZ

Fuller table of 2020-2025 data linked below.

I need to remember that even with the tourism/improvements brought by Rochester, the average alt Eloy household is much poorer than my area. (Although Rochester might have nudged the income average WAY up with his family's billions.) #HistorytownAZ